Small Group Questions

1. Jonah didn’t from God out of ignorance but out of knowledge. When have you resisted something God made clear to you, not because you didn't understand it, but because you didn't like where it was leading? 

2. The sermon draws a distinction between convenience and confirmation - just because a door opens doesn't mean God opened it. Can you think of a time when circumstances seemed to support a decision that, in hindsight, was actually your own rebellion? 

3. Jonah's theology was more developed than his heart - he could quote God's character accurately while using it as an excuse to disobey. Where might your knowledge of God be outpacing your actual surrender to Him? 

4. The sermon says God's method isn't always prevention - it's presence. How does that reframe the way you think about difficult seasons you've walked through or are in right now? 

5. Jonah's prayer from inside the fish wasn't perfect repentance - it was honest surrender. What's the difference between those two things, and what keeps people from praying when they're at their lowest? 

6. The book ends without resolution - an open question rather than a tidy conclusion. What unresolved question do you think God might be sitting with you in right now? 

BUT GOD: The Big "Buts" of the Bible

 Jonah: When God Gets Your Attention